Water-heater.



E." H. BUCKLE & E. J. KENNEDY.

WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1

Patented Dec,29,1914.

IN VEN TOR5 WITNESSES EDWARD H. BUCKLE Ann EDWIN KENNEDY, or CHICAGO, tra ners, assreiiona'ro scenes ntec'rmcnna'rme COMEANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A oonroaattfron or rumors. a I

To all whom it may concern- L- Be it known that We, EDWARD- H., ltUcKi.-n

' and EDWIN J. KENNEDY, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, in

the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have-invented certainvnew and useful Improvements in Water-Heaters, OflWlliCh the following is a specification. Our invention relates to water heaters'and particularly to electrical heaters adaptable for application in circulatory Water heaters '01- systems to eiiiciently heat the water.

Amongthe important objects of the invention are to provide an improved electrical heater unit Which can be readily and inexpensively manufactured; to provide a un t which can be used alone for heating by radiation and ,which can be used for insertionin a liquid to rapidly heat such liquid; a unit of such shape that it can be readily [to present maximunrheating surface with minimum current expenditure; to provide such arrangement that a unit can be quickly and readily inserted and supported in a liquid containing or conducting receptacle and which can be quickly detached for inspectlon' or repairs; to provide improved. ar-

' rangement which will enable one or more units .to be quickly inserted or Withdrawn from a liquid receptacle or passageway; and

in general to provide improved construction and arrangement for devices of the charac ter referred to.

c On the accompanying sheet'of drawings the various features" of our invention are 'clearlyjshown, Figure 1 beingan elevational .view' showing a heatingunit applied to a Watertank, Fig.:'2 being an enlarged vertical diametral' sectional view of a heating unit and a receiving receptacle therefor, Fig.

3 being a sectional view on plane 3-3, Fig. 2, and 'Fig'. being a-vertical diametral sectional view showing the arrangement of a plurality of heater units'in a tank.

Referring to Figs; 2 and -3, the unit it comprises a supportingbase or block 5 hava central threaded bore 6 for receiving a nipple '7, the block having intermediate section 5' threaded externally andthe inner reduced section or, flange 5". Threaded at its lower included in a circulatory systemend into the section 5 of the block- 5 is a'tube 8 which may .be of metal if do sired which forms a main support 01 the current .QQILQ WWIE alldtinsulating 3131 WATER-HEATER.

terial. shown the tube 8-is incased by'e sleeve or layer 9 of insulating Inaterial as for example mica, and spirally Wound ov er' this, insulation is the'resistanceivire10; En-

circling the tube 8 over the-insulation Q are 'themetal bands 11 and 12 forming the main terminals for the resistance windingels shown, an intermediate terminal hand Sammie of we e I rateatea'nee. as; aer a Application filed February 18, 1914i. Serie1No.8 19,359. I I i and theresistance winding is a seeondlayerl or sleeve 1i of insulating material such as 3 mica, the two insulating sleeves'thoroughly insulating the Windingsfrom the tube 8, and

In order that the-unit from the exterior. may be inserted intoa. fluids water-proof casing; 15' is applied over the insulating sleeve 14, and this casing is'preferably a tube of non-corrosive metal such as copper and surrounds the flange 5 of the 'supporting block 5,

lie flange at its base-having the annular pocket 16 'into-whichrtheloafer endv of the tube may be compressed toy-form a water-tight fit. At 'its outer end thertube 15 is closed by the-cop 17 whichis prefer.-

ably brazedtheretofi The terminal loads 18, 19 and 20.:if0r the respective terminal bands 11, 12 and 13 are arranged at the interior of the tube 8 and extend outwardly therefrom through the nipple 7 to connect with suitable-current i arranging and controlling mechanism (not shown). The detailed arrangement-of the terminal bands and the manner initwhich the leads connect therewithis clearly' shown in Fig. 3. A section of each band intermidiate its ends isfolded together toforin a radial extension 21 for projecting through a suitable opening 22 in the tube8 to the tube interior, the end of the extensionibeing expanded to form a sleeve 21 for-receiving the end of the respective lead 20. The ends of each band are secured together 'by-seaming or folding to receive and secure in such folding the winding; 10 asindicated at '23.

To insulate the bands from the tube 8 when such tube is of electrically conductive ma'terial, each opening-22 is provided with a filler 'or bushing 24; of insulating material as for example rubber or mica, and the inner end E l of the filler is preferably eX' 'Ja-nded to" engage against the inner side of the tube 8. Directly opposite each opening 22 the tube hasan opening- 25 for accommodating the seamed or folded together ends of the band. When a band is to be applied it is first bent midway and its ends brought together, "and then after the bend is expanded to form the terminal sleeve 21 the band is inserted ends l the terminalbands the ends of the current leads are secured in the sleeve 21.

The outer insulating sleeve 14 is then applied and the tube 15 then slipped thereover and secured at-its lower end to block 5 and sealed at its upper end by the cap 17. Theouter end of nipple 7 may be threaded for receiving" conduit through'which the' current supply wires lead, The unit as described above forms a rigid structure which can bereadily handled and which on account of its long cylindrical shape is particularly adapted'for insertion in fluid containing vessels or tanks or in a pipe or passageway forming part of a circulatory water heating system. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a unit is inserted in a pipe-like tankor Water conductor 26 and is detachably secured therein by engagement in its lower flanged end 26 of the threaded intermediate section 5' of the unit supporting block 5, the tank having an inlet 27 at its lower end 'for cold water or other liquid, and having the outlet 28 at its upper end. It will .be noted that the inner diameter of the casing 26 is only slightly larger than the external diameter of the unit. Liquid entering at the inlet 27 will therefore flow upwardly toward the outlet as a comparatively thin film about the unit, and close to the heating wires, being separated therefrom only by a thin layer of insulating material and by the copper sealing sheath, the copper being, however, a very good conductor and distributer of heat. Fluid entering at the lower end of the heater structure is therefore quickly heated on its way 'to the gu'tlet at the top. The water coutainer26 in Fig. 2 could be looped directly in a water supply. pipe, or the inlet end could be connected with a water supply outlet and a faucet applied in the outlet at the top so that when the faucet is opened the water heated during transit through the structure will be delivered.

In Fig. l I have shown the structure of Fig. 2 associated with a hot water tank 29, the inlet 27v of thecasing 26 being connected with the lower end of the tank and the outlet 28 being connected with the top of the tank there being then circulation down wardly through the tank and upwardly ter container or number of heater unitsmay be arrangedm a commoncontamer As shown in Fig. 4: the water container 32.

has a bottom plate 33 provided witha plurality of threaded openings 34 in which the "a heater units u may be inserted and secured to extend upwardly into the container to heat the water therein or flowing therethrough. Such container can be a separate tank or may be a tank secured to the side of a stove. a

We do not, of course, desire to be limited to the precise constructions and arrangements herein shownand described as modifications might be possible which could still come within the scope of the invention, and

We claim as follows:

1. In an electrical heater unit, the combination of a supporting block,- a supporting tube extending from said block, a resistance winding on said tube insulated therefrom, terminal bands surrounding and insulated from said tube and connected with said winding, extensions from said bands to the interior of said tube, and current circuit leads extending intov said tube and connected with said extensions.

2, In an electrical heater unit, the combination of a supporting block, a supporting tube extending from said block, a re-. slstance winding on said tube insulated therefrom, terminal bands surroundin and insulated from said tubeand connected with said winding, extensions from said bands to the interior of said tube, current circuit.-

heating unit comprising a supportingtube,

resistance winding .on said tube insulated therefrom, electrical conductors extending into the interior of thetube and connected with said windings and insulated from said tube, a sheath inclosing said tube and said windings thereon, of a water container, said unit being adapted to be detachably inserted into said container and said containercbeing of only slightly greater diameter, than said 1 unit and having inlet and outlet open'in adapted for connection, with water supp y or circulating conductors. "j.

4. In an electrical heater unit, the combination of a supporting'tube, a resistance winding on said tube, sheet metal te'iniinal bands surrounding said tube and connected and said tube having openings through which the loops extend to the interior thereof, and current circuit leads.extending intosaid tube andsecured in said loops to be thus connected with the terminal bands.

' 5, In an electrical heater unit, the combination of a supporting block, a tube extending from said block, a resistance Winding on the exterior of said tube, terminal bands surrounding said tube and connected with said Winding, extensions from said bands to the interior of the tube, current I conductors Within the tube connecting with said extensions, a water-tight shellincl'os' 15 ing said tube and the windings and terminal bands thereon, and a water container extending from said block concentric with said shell and having inlet and outlet openings.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe 20 our. names this 13th day. of February, A. D.

EDWARD BUCKLE, EDWIN J. KENNEDY. 

